Why Do People Cry When They Are Happy
Olivia Luz
When people cry because they re sad this makes them feel better.
Our tears release neurotransmitters known as leucine enkephalin which can act as a natural painkiller. About happy crying suggests these tears happen because your brain has trouble distinguishing between intense emotions. For example psychologists have found that people sometimes smile during times of intense sadness. Why people cry when they are happy and smile when they are sad people overcome strong positive emotions with tears of joy says a study adding that crying actually helps them recover from the situation.
But when people cry because they re happy that same neurotransmitter makes them feel that much happier. A more recent theory by hasson suggests that crying is a social cue designed to show vulnerability solicit sympathy from bystanders and advertise social trust and a need for attachment. In the case of a graduation ceremony perhaps the student unconsciously remembers all the hardships faced during the course and the ceremony adds a sense of finality and cessation to that hardship. In other words tears encourage catharsis.
Either way tears and vocal sobbing can result in greater feelings of sympathy and empathy by others. Another untested hypothesis states that we cry not because of the happy situation but because of negative emotions experienced earlier which had been held back for an extended period. So happy crying can help to strengthen mutual bonds between people just as sad crying can. A more recent theory by hasson suggests that crying is a social cue designed to show vulnerability solicit sympathy from bystanders and advertise social trust and a need for attachment.
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